


A Single Doubt; A Single Action

by NavigatorV



Category: Persona 4, Persona Series
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-15
Updated: 2017-09-15
Packaged: 2018-12-30 01:13:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12097467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NavigatorV/pseuds/NavigatorV
Summary: What should have been a harmless comment leaves Naoto doubting herself. Perhaps a push or two in the right direction can fix that?





	A Single Doubt; A Single Action

It all started with a small comment.

“Hey, no fair! Why does Naoto-kun get away with not wearing a yukata at a festival?”

I know Rise-san didn't mean anything by it; she was merely teasing. Still, it's left me sitting below a tree near the shrine.

Today was one of the many that were apart of Inaba's summer festival. My friends and I, a group of Persona-users who had once called themselves the “Investigation Team”, had all agreed to meet up for the festivities. It never really crossed my mind that I might be expected to wear a yukata.

Yuu walked me to the shrine, but he hadn't said a word. Had he not noticed? While I have been slowly opening myself up to more feminine things, much of my dress could still be considered gender neutral at most. Perhaps he'd simply gotten used to it? Then again, maybe that part didn't matter; even as far back as high school he had admitted that I didn't need to change for his sake, that he'd love me no matter the circumstance. Thus far, he had done nothing but stay true to those words. We had both been out of high school for several years at this point, so one would think that I would feel at ease in these regards; unfortunately, my low self esteem has continued to persist to a small degree, even into my adulthood. His nonchalant attitude doesn't help matters, as it makes him a somewhat difficult person to read at times. Of course, other concerns of mine were beginning to surface as well, no doubt making matters far worse.

Even with so many barriers crossed and so much progress made, events such as this were the perfect breeding ground for the memory of my shadow self to come flooding back. All of my anger and worry, both about myself and Yuu; it's suffocating, yet I can't figure out how I should react.

Time keeps slowly passing as I gaze up to the stars. While I would never endanger my health in such a manner, there are times in which I can understand why Dojima-san took up smoking. Then I hear it, the clatter of wood on concrete. Turning my head, I see that Rise-san has come to check on me.

“What are you doing all alone out here Naoto-kun?”

“Just getting some air.”

I try my best to sound nonchalant, but some solemness appears to have seeped through, as Rise-san's face turns dour.

“It's what I said, isn't it? About the yukata, I mean.”

“No no, it's not that...it's just...”

I have no idea what to say. I merely take a breath, hoping something will break the tension in the atmosphere.

Sadly, nothing does for minutes on end. Eventually, Rise-san works up the resolve to speak.

“I'm sorry. I know that's still kind of a sore subject..”

“Rise-san, please, don't worry about it. I know that traditionally feminine things aren't my strong suit and that it draws unnecessary attention toward me.”

“You say that, but you're sitting out here in the cold when you should be having a good time with us up at the booths.”

I then realize that I'd begun looking at the ground, as I have to turn my head up to look her in the eye.

“I just....worry...”

At this, she raises an eyebrow.

“What on earth do you have to worry about? You're smart, gifted, pretty; you need to have confidence in yourself. What do you think Yuu-san would say if he saw you like this?”

She smiles teasingly before that turns to a look of concern.

“That's it isn't it? You're worried about what he thinks of you?”

I struggle to put my thoughts into words for a moment or two.

“I don't know. I want to say that I like being who I am; that I've fully accepted who I've become. But, as the one who instigated the largest change in me, I want to know how Yuu feels about me. He's difficult to figure out and it makes things unnecessarily challenging. He never complains or gets angry; when we disagree it only lasts for a short while before the matter is dropped, so I don't know if he simply doesn't want to bring such topics up or if there's some deeper meaning there; we're content to simply sit in silence or read across the room from one another. We live so close to each other that we're together nearly every day, yet he doesn't express any real reaction. I just worry that we've lost a spark and that one day he'll grow tired, so when things like this happen I just feel so....inadequate.”

Then I hear the oddest thing; what I expected was concern or anger yet what I receive from her is...laughter.

“W-what is it...what did I say?”

After a moment, Rise-san calms herself and then proceeds to explain.

“Naoto-kun, what you just described...that's love. Don't pay attention to what society says it should be like or how the movies act it out. Pay attention to how _he_ looks at you; how _he_ acts around you. You two disagree then drop the subject because there's no reason to keep it up; you can sit around doing nothing together because you don't need any more than that. What you two have is beautiful, and I know I'm not the only one who sees it that way.”

With a smile she turns me around to face someone behind me: Yuuya.

My face grows hot as I stammer and fail to make eye contact. Luckily, he breaks the silence.

“Naoto, you should have let me know. I've already said time and again: I love you and the person you are and will become. I had no idea that things had felt stagnant to you, that you worried about the possibility that we'd lost something; it just seemed comfortable, so it never crossed my mind.”

“I-it is comfortable. I just didn't know that you felt that same comfort.”

I feel his warm hands scoop up my own as he looks me in the eye.

“Give me some credit; I'm happy because I'm with _you_. There's no reason for me to ask for more.”

He then turns to Rise-san, his hands still locked around mine. As he opens his mouth to speak, she preemptively answers him.

“I'll go back with the others. Knock it out of the park Yuu-san!”

With a light chuckle, she turns on her heels and proceeds back to the crowd.

After a quiet moment, he releases my hands back out into the cold air of the night. He then reaches behind him to a bag he'd brought. To my surprise, I see a very familiar object come out.

“That's my old cap. Where did you...?”

“Your grandfather gave it to me for safe keeping. He said I could only return it on one condition: I had to use it to perform a magic trick.”

Yuu had always had a proficiency for magic tricks, something which my grampa was always delighted with. In truth I was as well, but not for typical reasons; I liked to figure out just how it was done. On rare occasions he would bring a new one to me and repeat it until I had figured out every last step. It was an odd ritual, but one that only we shared. Sadly, his proficiency was limited by his imagination, and with the complications of adulthood, he rarely had the time to brainstorm any new tricks. Looking back, perhaps that lack of the familiar ritual had aided my concerns?

“Now, I'm going to make one thing appear while one other thing disappears. Hopefully my feelings come through loud and clear.”

He gives me a light smile before adding, “Oh, and don't forget to guess how I pulled it off after I'm done, alright?”

He then proceeds to do the same motions that your average stage magician would do. Pulling up the sleeves; nothing in his hands; allowing me to inspect the hat. After all this is the moment of anticipation. With baited breath, I watch as he tosses the hat into the air before catching it and quickly yet somehow gently placing it on my head. He then leans over and moves my head down somewhat before placing a kiss upon the hat.

Looking up, my face burning and more than likely several shades of red, I begin to wonder aloud just what that was all about.

“Oops, didn't take, let me give it a little push.”

With a swift movement, his hand reaches for the hat on my head. He then gives it a small tap before I feel something metal lightly hitting my scalp. Scrambling to remove the hat to see what in the world it was, a small object falls into my hand. A ring. A gold band with silver adorning along its edge before eventually curving together into a bell shape.

I stare, mouth agape for seconds that feel like years, before he grasps the backs of my hands and gets down on one knee.

“Naoto Shirogane, would you allow me the honor of putting this ring on your finger?”

I nod, almost unable to process what just occurred. With the gentleness of a fawn, I feel the ring leave my hand for a moment before I feel the cold metal surround my left ring finger.

“If you'd have me, I'd like to help you solve life's greatest mysteries, so long as we both live.”

I can feel tears welling up in my eyes as I embrace him. My lips meet his, the comforting taste I'd grown so accustomed to meeting them. In this moment, everything melts away. All of my fears, my anxiety, my self-loathing, all of it disappears for one fleeting moment. In the grand scheme of things, it was a fragment of time faster than a blink in comparison to all of human history, yet it means more to me than words can express. In this moment, this blink of an eye, I feel nothing but joy and warmth that seems to guard me from anything and everything.

Returning to reality, I pull my face away from his and wipe my eyes. It is then that I hear cheering behind us. Looking I can see that all of our friends had shown up to witness this. I can't help but smile; Kanji-kun is trying desperately to deny that he's crying, meanwhile Teddie won't even bother to do the same. The three girls are holding back tears of their own as they shout their congratulations. Yosuke-san seems to be the only one dry eyed at first glance, but even his eyes show the slightest hint of a twinkle.

I then hear a voice in my ear.

“Well, did you figure out the trick?”

I grasp my old hat and hold it to hide us from the world one last time.

“Why would I want to spoil the magic?”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading. First time writing straight romance (The Day the Eclipse Ended was more about familial relationship that just so happened to have a romance attached), so I stressed about accomplishing that while keeping everyone in character, so hopefully you enjoyed it!


End file.
